The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-02-04
AMERICAN HOMES.
OUR CLIMATE TO BE CONSIDERED
WHEN WE BUILD.

Some Things Which We Must Do With
out-Trees and Wall vines-OId Country
Seat RemodeIed - Drainage - Material
LOcaIity-Sty1e.
1t is amusing to hear q man or woman who
has crossed the ocean ridicule our country
dwelling houses and compare them with the
picturesqueneSs of the English cottage, of
the German farmhouse, the vine grown walls,
the windows projecting from the roofs, the
low height, the shadow, the quiet tone about
them and the irregular form. They would
give all the staring, formal villas Of this !
country for one little ivy-grOWn OF red-roofed |
cottage in English hawthorn lane, or a |
green German valley. But experience teaches |
that a countrys architecture is, to large !
degree, a necessary fruit and outcome OF its |
circumstances. We have a peculiar and diff |
cult climate here and must, first of all, con- |
slider it in our building. There is the heat of
the tropics in the summer, and the almost |
Arctic cold in the winter. We cannot have |
low houses here, for the rooms would be In |
tOlerable in summer. Low, sharp-gabled |
cottages, with dOTIner windows IN the roof, |
are, no doubt, picturesque, but they mean |
hot chambers under the roof and low, close |
sitting rooms. Even if air chamber be
secured between the roof and the bed room,
still the upper rooms, in such nights as we
have now, would be almost uncomfortable.
We must have houses high between floors
and the bed room well separated from the
roof.
TREES AND WALL VINES
Then another element Of the picturesque is |
the deep shade and thick vines overclamber-
inc the walls But our experience shows that !
sun and air are indispensable for health in a |
bOuse and we are compelled more and more
to plant trees at a little distance, securing
shade by piazzas balconies and allowing
the sun free play on roofs and walls A mod
crate use of wall vines is, of course, permitted
under these conditions, but any excessive
draping with ivy Creepers breeds insects
and increases dampness. The constant la
Sility to malaria of course nodifies all our
modes of building and cOmpels us to admit
sun and air Indeed it will be noticed now
in England that all the country houses are
built much more in the American or French
STYLE than formerly, with airy chambers,
high stories and mucn OpenneSs to the sun,
and summer balconies for shade.
The regular form of English houses Is a
historical feature result of growth. 1t APP
pears here sometimes where an old country
seat has been enlarged and remOdeled, and
is wonderfully attractive. L live IN such
house. and while 1 enjoy it and am proud Oh
it. l must confess that it Is exceedingly neon
venient. 1t requires great expense IN Ihe
care. lighting warming and drainage. The
cheapest Of all houses is the square house, and
as most people build with small means III this
country they naturally adopt this, or some
modification of this form. These old and IT.
regular English villas, it should be relnem-
bered have become nuisances under modern
sanitary ideas Their drainage Is execraoIe,
and they are often nests of typhoid fever
DRAINAGE THE FIRST THING
Tn this country the first thing for house
holder to consider, before oil ornamentation
or architectural effect, is drainage. He must
sac to it that his water pipes and drain pipes
are well protected from the frost, that the
trans are close and that the outflow Is unlm-
peded In all small households 1t IS the part
of wisdom to place the water pipe behind the
kitchen chimney, which is always warm, ana
to have but one angle and no cross pipes 10
anv bedroom So fatal are the return gases
from, q drain that it is safer to keep up the
oil country custom of bowl and pitcher IN
the bedroom and obtain all the water from
Int one place, the bath room, which should
I've entirely separated from the bedroom IL
is believed by physicians thaI one oi U1e LioeI
nrolific sources of diphtheria and all foul-alr
diseases is the return gas through the Croton
water drains
In REGARD to material, it is doubtful If any
thing is more suitable for this climate than
wood with "brick filed in" This Is dry ana
warm But in every locality there are pecu-
Iior and often beautiful, building stones,
ITNtRn
Syyy;ss chalet style with very pretty effect
Vet small house builders will find that every
deviation from the ordinary style Is expen-
eive Stone alone seems often damp and, tol
some unknown reason, not so completely
water tight A red roof is very pretty teat
rra blt if of tile or slate it is expensive, anc
If of shingles, exposed to rot 1t seems pity
that the modern black and blue slate Is st
much taking the place of shingles in country
horses, Piazzas are the great necessity II
tbs climate, and the prettiest feature IN oul
architecture. They should not, however, b'
b,,iIt ON the south side of the building, anC
ON the west should not be so broad as to ex
cIpde all winter sun. a balcony for an opel
air breakfast would be an exceedingly pretty
feature in our best villas.-Boston Budget.
The SUMMER Girl.
Now do YOU know that there IS no Us
talking. the summer girl is the girl Tor III
Is there anything prettier than woman III
white dress or a white dress on : woman
We'll. 1 should say not. There Is where OF
country girls take the shine oil OF our CT
girls. They don't wear sealsHin and pIush
in the winter because they haven't goC UheIn
wear. but the country girl In the summer
church. at camp meeting OF at picnic
her clean, starched muslin, lawns or can o
well. | can't expires myself as j would III
to | only wish was out IL the fields son.
where. where l could boiler omp5foH